Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	68.89
Liaison	Natalie Sobrinski
Submission Date	Feb. 27, 2024

STARS v2.2

Muhlenberg College
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	0.00 / 2.00 This credit is weighted more heavily for institutions that own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to any of the following: Legally protected areas (e.g., IUCN Category I-VI) Internationally recognized areas (e.g., World Heritage, Ramsar, Natura 2000) Priority sites for biodiversity (e.g., Key Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites) Regions of conservation importance (e.g., Endemic Bird Areas, Biodiversity Hotspots, High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas) 2 points are available for this credit if the institution owns or manages land that includes or is adjacent to any of the above. 1 point is available for this credit for all other institutions. Close	Brett Fulton Grounds Manager Plant Operations

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Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, or regions of conservation importance?:

Yes

A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:

Muhlenberg College owns/manages two pieces of land that are considered to be regions of conservation importance, since they both contain wetlands. These are two areas known as the Raker and Graver sites.
The Conrad W. Raker Biological Field Station and Wildlife Sanctuary, a 40-acre wooded tract situated 15 miles north of the campus, in Germansville, PA, is used by biology classes for field study. A section of Jordan Creek within the preserve provides added opportunity for aquatic biology studies. Students and staff also conduct research on varied aspects of plant and animal biology.
The Lee and Virginia Graver Arboretum of Muhlenberg College, located in Bushkill Township, north of Bath, Pennsylvania, is used as an outdoor classroom by the biology and other science departments.
Muhlenberg College has conducted multiple assessments in these areas, but they are not official. One of them was for Graver, and came from a grant given by the Institute of museum and library services around a decade ago.
Though we have no formal plans in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas in Raker and/or Graver, this is something we can look into.

Endangered and vulnerable species

Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution?:

A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:

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Areas of biodiversity importance

Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:

A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:

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Methodologies

If yes to either of the above, provide the following:

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

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A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):

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A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:

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Optional Fields

Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :

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Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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